Emtek makes a fine lock and they stand behind their locks with a lifetime warranty. I like working on Emtek locks because they are made with 
quality. I recommend them to customers willing to pay extra for nicer looking locks and a lifetime guarantee. I have few reservations about them except for a few annoyances:
- Emtek lock cylinders don’t conform to generally followed dimensional standards, so lock cylinders from other manufacturers can’t be used in Emtek locks.
- They have smaller retainer cap pins and springs that tend to shear off after a short time of use such as a few years after installation. When this happens it will be impossible to lock or unlock your deadbolt because turning the cylinder will no longer actuate the bolt since the link between them is no longer functioning. If this problem is occurring at your only entry door you are locked out and will have to pay somebody to drill out the cylinder to manipulate the bolt directly and then replace the cylinder, or perhaps more if the person you hired doesn’t know how to open the door after drilling just the cylinder.
- The cylinder retainer caps that are very difficult to remove occasionally and sometimes a wrench must be used to tighten them to the correct position.
All of these problems can be fixed by retrofitting Emtek locks with different cylinders that conform to Emtek cylinder dimensions. I sell high security cylinders that are very difficult to drill or pick that fit in Emtek locks’ housing. These cylinders have a restricted keyway that makes it almost impossible to make unauthorized key copies. The cap retainer pin is also of stouter construction that stands up to years of abuse without shearing off like those of regular Emtek cylinders.
When you retrofit your Emtek lock with CX5 cylinders you get the aesthetic benefits of an Emtek lock with the advanced security improvements of a high security cylinder. You will also be heading off future problems concerning the cylinder pin breaking and your key turning 360 degrees in the lock without unlocking it, possibly resulting in a lockout. If you prevent a late night lockout you may actually be saving money with this upgrade.
If you are interested in having me retrofit your Emtek deadbolts the costs are:
- $65 Service call to North Seattle. You can also bring the locks to me to avoid this charge.
- $75 per deadbolt cylinder, keyed to match
- $8.50 per key
- $10 labor per deadbolt
- $15 extra on the weekend and after 6 pm.
